Cutting Line Designs - My Hearts A'Flutter Overblouse

Many of the sewists on Stitcher's Guild are fans of Louise Cuttings patterns, published as Cutting Line Designs. I have made two pair of pajama bottoms using her One Seam Pants pattern, but have not yet made a finished pair of pants because I still don't have the crotch fit right. Up until now, that has been my only experience with these patterns.

Louise's latest pattern is the Heart's A'Flutter shell and overblouse and I decided it was time to take the plunge. I was interested in the overblouse, but was not sure how it would work on my busty figure.

As luck would have it, a friend made the pattern right after it was released and let me try her size medium, which has a finished bust measurement of 55". I knew that the medium would fit me around, but was concerned it would hike up at the front. When I tried on her top, that is exactly what happened: the front hiked up and looked very "maternity."

To fix this, I altered the pattern using my friend's suggestion – I added 3" to the bottom of the center front piece, tapering it to nothing at the side seam. Since the alteration crossed two pattern pieces, I had to modify both. I did not alter the pattern piece that goes across the bottom front.

The fabric I used it a very wiggly, very ravelly, plaid rayon that I bought at Fabrix. This fabric has a mind of its own and I had to cut it out very painstakingly. Rather than deal with matching the plaid in all of the pieces, I took a leaf from Terri's striped version and changed the grain of the various pieces. I had much less matching to worry about.

I am wearing the overblouse without anything under it, but that is for the photos only. A shell or a cami will be needed for modesty's sake – the slits are a bit above the waistline and, as the body moves, you can see more bust than anyone would want – after all, it is called an overblouse. I do like this top. I am wearing it with my new Sewing Workshop Hudson pants, which I will review when I get some better photos. :)

DD1 suggested I wear her sunglasses. Too bad you can't see them better, because the lenses have diagonal lines across them. The height of cool. ;)

TNT T-Shirt with Marcy Tilton Neckline

I recently bought some fabric from Marcy Tilton's website that she calls Light on Water Shibori Microfiber. I decided to use it with my TNT t-shirt pattern, but to also use a neckline technique from Marcy's t-shirt CD. You can use this technique on any t-shirt pattern, which uses oak tag templates that you make using the original pattern.

Unfortunately, I didn't have the t-shirt seated quite evenly on my shoulders, but you can still see the effect.

I am wearing this t-shirt with Sewing Workshop Trio pants, which I will review separately.

Sewing Workshop - Mimosa Top

Spring approacheth. Heck, Spring is officially here, and it's the first one since I've returned to sewing, so I am starting to think about a spring/summer wardrobe. In particular, I am thinking about tops. Tops are a challenge for me, with my generous bust and "fluffy tummy", but summer tops are even more challenging, when you add in my "mature" upper arms, narrow shoulders, and my aversion to showing too much skin.

So, I decided to try my hand at the Sewing Workshop Mimosa top. This Asian-inspired top screams "I am for the small busted", but, heck, I am fearless about hacking up patterns, right? I started with a Large, which is usually the right size when I am adding a dart. Because the front pattern piece crosses the entire body, I added two darts in that piece. Each dart added 2" in width and 2" in length. (I recently realized that my FBAs weren't adding enough in length.) This made for a very big dart. But there were actually two of them in the front pattern piece, meaning there would be four when both fronts were sewn. I also moved the shoulder forward 1/2".

When I made the muslin, I realized several things. First, this large is very narrow across the upper back, so I added 1" to the CB seam (1/2" on the fold). The armhole was nice and high and hugged the body well, which I liked. I realized that I preferred leaving the second front dart unsewn - but leaving the fullness there. Otherwise it would have been four front darts when both front pieces were overlapped and closed, and I didn't like that look. I also reshaped the side front open edge to accommodate this unstitched dart.

I made the finished top out of a blue fabric remnant that I really liked. It is a linen look fabric, with a pronounced weave. It has a bit of a "homespun" feel to it. I believe it is a blend of cotton, maybe linen, maybe rayon, and possibly a bit of synthetic. It does wrinkle, but it also washed and dried well in the machine.

For the final top, I made a few more changes. Rather than attach a binding to the side front that is open, I hemmed it using the same technique as on the bottom. I mitered the corner between the side front and the bottom, so there were four mitered corners in all. I was reluctant to use a binding as wide as the pattern called for along the neckline, because the neckline was already quite high. I was also reluctant to cut the binding cross grain, as the pattern called for, so I used a narrower bias binding around the neck.

To close it, I found an acceptable, but not fabulous, button from my grandmother's button box. This box has mostly pretty nasty buttons – many of them cut off of clothing and quite beaten up. But for this top, it was fine. I placed the button where it fit best when the front was closed, ignoring the placement on the pattern. By this point, I had pretty much frankenpatterned the paper pieces anyway.

The final result? meh. It is ok. The first time I put it on and looked in the mirror, I got the overpowering impression of hospital scrubs. I hope no one else thinks that, since the funky hemline hopefully offsets that effect. :) It has a bit of the "loving hands at home" look with the imperfect, large dart, and the imperfect, bumpy bias binding. I do think it will work as a layering piece. And, if it's really hot, it's better than sweating in a long sleeved shirt, and it does cover me adequately (no small feat). But beyond that, I will have to wear it and see what I think. :)

I am standing on a fairly steep driveway in these photos. I am wearing this Mimosa top with my new favorite pant pattern - the Trio. I will
review it later when I get photos of my second version.

I tried the outfit on with the Valencia jacket I made recently. I thought it looked OK, but DD1 did not like it worn all together. She might be right – I haven't decided yet.

P.S. If you have a smaller bust, this is a goto pattern for many women. I have seen it made up beautifully in many different fabrics. Check pattern review, but I have seen it other places as well.

P.P.S. I wore the top today, on an unseasonably warm day. I like it! It covers me well, especially the armholes and cleavage areas, and it camouflages my tummy. I may make a couple of these for those hot days when you have to find something to wear. :)

Sewing Workshop - Liberty Top

Our traditional Easter High Tea. So decadent...

For awhile now I've been wanting to make a Liberty top. I have seen some really beautiful versions on the Sewing Workshop Gallery, Pattern Review, Stitcher's Guild, and in my own sewing group. Then, at our last sew group meeting, Heather Nishimura showed her latest version of the Liberty and I fell in love. Heather is one of those stealth sewists. She quietly, and without fanfare, makes the most gorgeous pieces. She always looks so elegant and beautiful - she really rocks her wardrobe. She had the brilliant idea of making a pullover using the Liberty pattern. She used a black/grey stripe knit (with the stripe positioned vertically) and placed the center front on the fold of the fabric. She finished it off with a turtleneck.

Well, I love knit t-shirts, pullovers, and the like, that have interesting details and this one was fabulous. I couldn't wait to try it out. I traced off a Large and added a dart. I tested the pattern fit using a light yellow cotton interlock someone had given me at our last Babes meeting. I finished the neckline with a binding.

My test garment, using donated cotton interlock.

For my actual garment, I used a Japanese knit from Emma One Sock. This slightly sheer knit has a weighty hang - really nice. For this version, I didn't sew the dart, I eased it. For the neckline I finished with a piece of the selvedge.

The second version uses a Japanese sweater knit from Emma One Sock

When I wear this top, the neckline pulls a bit to the back. The next time I make this top (and there will be a next time) I plan to move the shoulder seam forward 1/2" and to shorten the sleeves an inch. Eventually I want to make the pattern as shown on the envelope. It's a great one!

[Edited on 4/9/10.] Heather has sent me a picture of her striped Liberty turtleneck for posting! My understanding is that it will appear soon on the SW gallery. Isn't it gorgeous?

Vogue 8499 - Marcy Tilton pants

For a long time I have been wanting to make this Marcy Tilton pattern, except I was planning to make the skirt. Then, when I finally decided it was time to tackle the Holy Grail of Sewing – the well fitting pant – I took a second look at these cute pants with the knee darts and the horizontal pockets. Though this pattern isn't designed to be closely fitted, even loose pants can be a challenge to fit.

In this case, I read the reviews on Pattern Review and, uniformly, people said that this pattern runs really large. According to the hip measurement (and I always sew pants/skirts based on my hip measurement because I have small hips and a very large waist and it's usually easiest for me to alter the waist, but YMMV) I should be a size 16.

Most Vogue patterns indicate the bust, waist, and hip location, along with the finished garment measurement at those points. For some odd reason, that is not true of this pattern, so I measured the flat pattern. I was very surprised to find that the finished garment measured somewheres around 55" for a size 6. (I am going by memory, but it was in this range.) Given that my hips are 40", which, according to Vogue, is a size 16, I am not surprised that people have been finding these pants to be oversized.

I decided to cut out a size 6, the smallest size available, and alter the waist. The back of the pant is gathered elastic, but the front uses a curved facing. This makes sense because the pockets do not lay well if the front waist is gathered.

I said I decided to cut out a size 6. I intended to cut out a size 6. However, I cut out all the pieces as a size 6 except one – the side back. The side back I cut out in a size 12. I did not notice the error at first. I made the muslin before I realized my mistake. But the muslin fit me well, so I decided to leave it this way for the final pant, but it was an accident, and I think the size 6 on the side back would have worked too. :)

I altered the pattern by increasing the waist, the front waist facing, and also the side front, where the pocket is located. The waist shaping begins in the pocket, so both the upper and lower side front were affected. Finally, I shortened the pants by 1.5" on the "lengthen or shorten here" line – I am 5'5".

The fabric I used is a Taslan that a friend gave me. She bought the Taslan from Mizono, back when she manufactured locally. It's a 100% nylon fabric, in a khaki green color, and has a wonderful drape – and these pants need a fabric with good drape.

I sewed these on a recent sewing retreat and, even though they have extensive top-stitching (even the knee darts are topstitched), they were fairly quick to sew up. Once they were finished, I found them to be comfortable to wear and flattering. Seven women at the retreat also tried them on and they fit everyone, even though they were different sizes and shapes. The only alterations needed were in the overall length, or to take in the waist. The pants fit around the hips, and flattered, every person who tried them on.

I love these pants and will definitely be making them again. And I still want to make that skirt...

Front

Back. I had worn these for several hours so they are a bit rumpled.

Closeup of knee darts. A little hard to see, but all seams are top-stitched, even the darts.

Using the pocket

Closeup of pockets and front waist with facing

Sewing Workshop - Now Shirt

Another great pattern from Sewing Workshop!

I have recently seen several versions of the Now top, the Zen top, and a hybrid of both. I need more tops, so I decided to make the Now on my recent sewing retreat. This fabric, a wonderfully soft Italian cotton, was from Emma One Sock. I think. It might have been Gorgeous Fabrics. If you recognize it, please let me know. It is, essentially, a plaid, though of course it prominently features the circle motif that I love.

My alterations were pretty straight-forward: a dart (more on that in a bit), and I lengthened both the front and back by 4".

The most interesting feature of the Now is the collar. The pattern piece is a rectangle, and it is sewn to form a tube. You could cut the piece on the bias or line it with a contrasting fabric, though I made it as shown.

This top has no interfacing. The front bands are formed by folding the fabric over twice. They are not supposed to be top-stitched in place, but I mitered the hem and top-stitched the hem and front bands at the same time. The front of the collar is also folded over twice, but I put in a strip of interfacing because the collar was so soft – I didn't want the collar to collapse. I also made a pleat on the hem of the sleeves and sewed a button. I did not shorten the sleeves, which is very unusual for me, so they run a bit short.

You can see that the collar is a tube. You could pull a scarf through the collar, if you wanted to. The buttons are mother of pearl, but I used the back side.

I did learn one important thing from this pattern. I have not been adding my darts properly. I mostly focus on adding enough width, without thinking as much about the length. My sewing friends pointed out, very correctly, that I need to add at least another 1.5" to the length at center front. I am very glad to learn this and will modify the pattern correctly next time. Thanks, you guys. :)

Sewing Retreat 2010

View from the living room, aka "Sewing Central".

Moving in. Sewing stations not yet staged.

Who doesn't enjoy an intense session of sewing? But add in friends with the same passion, a beautiful coastal setting, with verdant hills, aged barns and fences, and scads of picturesque bovines, piles of delicious food, and hours of companionable sewing, sewing talk and laughter. Yup, Shams is a lucky girl.

For this retreat, I pre-cut five garments:

• Pajama bottoms using Louise Cutting's One Seam pants pattern
  
• A Sewing Workshop Now top
  
• A Sewing Workshop Liberty top
  
• A pair of Marcy Tilton pants
  
• A pair of Sewing Workshop Hudson pants
  

I managed to get all of them finished, but, as my camera battery died, the only photo I have is of me wearing the pjs, after sleeping in them all night.

One Seam Pant PJs, a bit rumpled after sleeping in them.

Over the next few days I hope to get photos and post reviews of some of these patterns. I am particularly loving the Liberty top, the Now shirt, and the Marcy Tilton pants. With daylight savings time, I hope it will be easier to get photos in the evenings.